Critic Reviews

With its high production value, smart level design, and impressive story, Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force is simply one of the finest first-person shooters to come out this year. You don't even have to be a full-fledged Trekker to appreciate the gaming goodness that Elite Force has to offer.

But once again: You should own Elite Force. Your friends should own Elite Force. Your grandmother should own Elite Force. Even people who hate the TV shows should own Elite Force. Plainly and simply, it's a fantastic first person shooter that shouldn't be dismissed purely because its title contains the two much-maligned words, "Star" and "Trek."

Regardless of the anticlimactic last level, Elite Force is most definitely one of the best first-person shooters to come out in this year, and almost certainly the best Star Trek game period, a franchise infamous for its string of bad titles. You're missing out on a great gaming experience if you pass up this title, so don't let it slip by you. And pay no attention to that red shirt in your wardrobe.

Just a little before the end of ST:VEF, there is one section that frightened the daylights out of me. Not one of those shock-induced jumps caused by monsters falling from the ceiling, but an actual case of the cold sweats. That was when I knew that ST:VEF was not just a great Star Trek game, but a really great game in general.

Star Trek Elite Force is a well designed, new FPS style shooter that gives Star Trek fans a chance to see what it would be like to be aboard a Federation Starship in the future. Also, as a fast-paced and intense gameplay title, it is appealing to those who have no idea what Star Trek Voyager is. The future abilities of this title are wide open, and I would hope Ravensoft takes full advantage of this with possible expansions and, hopefully, a mission editor/maker in the near future.

Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force is everything Quake III SHOULD have been. Not only does the game provide an excellent single player game (which Quake III was sorely missing), the multiplayer components are in place and as solid as you'd expect from a Quake engine. I'd like to recommend that from now on id develop the engine and Raven be allowed to design the GAME. Bottom Line: Elite Force is an excellent game based on the Star Trek franchise. It utilizes the Quake III engine and provides both an excellent single player game as well as multiplayer. It requires quite a bit of processing muscle to view in all its glory.

This is the best Star Trek game I’ve ever played. That’s not saying much so let me elaborate. The level designs kick ass; the weapons and their secondary functions are very cool; and the plot is actually quite interesting. What really blows my mind is that despite Voyager being my least favorite of the Trek series, I really enjoyed the character interaction. On top of that, the game plays surprisingly smoothly and the graphics are top notch. This is the first time I’ve seen a game with TV/movie license that actually took advantage of the story and character of the show rather than simply relying on the name alone. Trekkies (not Trekkers, you PC hand-fed freaks) will love it, and shooter fans will too. Voyager: Elite Force is top notch.

It represents the first perfect translation of another medium, be it film, television or another form of entertainment, to a computer game. My guess is, most reviews will deliver mechanical praise for the script and characters, and move on to applauding the spectacular graphics and sci-fi gun battles. To be sure, Raven has once again demonstrated what goes into creating a great shooter, but the thing that has impressed me most is the astonishing creative collaboration between Paramount, Activision and the designers, who together created a computer game that is a relevant addition to an established fictional universe. The tight integration of the missions, characters, settings and graphics had me launching a new adventure the moment I had completed the first one. Even the final battle and epilogue contain a satisfying, unforced naturalism that is pure "Star Trek" and would be hard for non-fans to resist.

All that being said I still liked this game a lot and had fun playing it. There was enough original action and story line to keep me playing right to the end and wanting more missions. The levels are well designed and everything is integrated enough to make this game feel like an episode of the television show, right down to the camera angles. The action is intense in some areas and, on higher difficulty settings, can be very challenging. Being able to choose between male and female characters doesn’t affect gameplay but it’s neat to see how the other half lives. There are references to a number of great science fiction movies and games (you’ve really got to pay attention to catch them all). Obviously, Trek fans will get more out of this game than the average gamer but it’s still a solid first-person shooter. This one will stay on my hard drive for awhile.

The gameplay is solid as a rock (the Q3 physics are allmost left intact) and it never gets boring. Is there nothing bad to say about this game then? Do we have the game of the century? Well, actually there are two downsides. First the gamelength, is just sooooo short it makes me wanna cry. Hopefully there will come and addon in the future. Second, the battle AI of the opponents is a bit weak. They never surprised me during a shoot out by making a sudden move or something, it gave me the idea this game wasn't really challenging (or ph3ar my mad skillz :)) The multyplayer experience is kinda basic but really addicting with the get-those-crappy-borgs factor in it

The Elite Force levels are a real tribute to the FPS genre! The design is imaginative, versatile, dynamic, and immensely atmospheric. During your time as Ensign Monroe, you'll explore environments ranging from organic alien ships to medieval castles and western towns (Holodeck) ... to the most brilliant maps of all, including the Borg Cube and final levels. The fantastic level design is accompanied with gameplay dynamics that are worthy of being called Half-Life-like. Elite Force definitely goes to show what a great storyline coupled with meticulous and innovative design can do for a single player FPS. If I were to predict future, and guess where PC games are heading, I'd definitely go with the "interactive movies" idea. Some years from know, Half Life, Elite Force, and the likes will be considered as the pioneers of the next-gen PC games.

Overall, Elite Force screams quality gaming, though perhaps a little short of quantity. If you consider yourself any kind of Trekkie, you will like this game. For those of you who aren't, I recommend you try it out. You may become one.

For the Trekkie and the shooter fiend, this is a must. The sounds, the voices, and the painstaking realism are just too much to pass up. For the rest of us, if renting PC games was possible, I would say have at it. There are things that will turn your crank. Otherwise, a nice foot massager would probably give you the same satisfaction.

We can debate the merits of whether Star Trek needed a first person shooter or not (I’m in the camp of “ehh, whatever”), but regardless, Raven has delivered a fine one. It’s got a quick pace that keeps you interested, shouldn’t last more than a weekend, and can be quite challenging at the hardest difficulty level. It may not do enough (or even much) to differentiate itself in the gameplay department, but the environments, nods to the show, and excellent characterization are all top shelf, and a great example of FPS storytelling.

Oddly, the game’s best asset is also its biggest weakness. It feels like a compact, satisfying episode of the TV show: cautious exploration punctuated by riveting sequences, such as a desperate last stand on art alien vessel, or returning from a mission to find Voyager swarming with invaders. That’s all well and good, but the sweeping excitement of a bigger-budgeted motion picture, with more of those memorable battles, would have been more rewarding. That, and more than the 10 or 15 hours of gameplay this brief game offers.
But for Trek fans and gamers in general, this is a quality game that brings respect and real fun to the Trek gaming franchise. Hopefully, now that the standard has finally been set, we will see a better, legs cynical effort the next time a developer bravely goes where everyone and their momma have gone before.

Although it has its flaws and takes little more than a couple of days to complete, Elite Force is still an exceptionally enjoyable first person shooter and should not be discounted on the basis of its length. If you fancy a new first person adventure and already own Deus Ex, this is the game to buy.

Ultimately this game should appeal to nearly anyone, whether it be the Trekkie who knows the name of Tuvok's wife, or the action gamer who thinks Voyager is the sequel to Survivor. The story is interesting and well paced, the voice acting and character depiction is solid, and the game engine is burning on all cylinders. Raven has a stellar track record, and while this game is unlikely to be the flagship of their offerings, it stands proudly among them.

The game overall is nice eye candy, fairly simple to control, and somewhat of a challenge. For the diehard shooter fan I wouldn't go overboard. Other than the possible head-to-head with other players through a network the re-playability in this installment is limited. Once a site is setup allowing all to battle each other in a tournament style, I think that the game will lend itself to more play time. At this point it is basically a one player game, and once you're done with that it would only be the same thing all over again.